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Lot Essay
The wrathful Vajrabhairava with his consort Naro Dakini, is portrayed in deep blue, with multiple arms and legs, encircled by a fiery halo. Above the central figure, in smaller scale, sits Tsongkhapa (1357–1419), the founder of the Gelug lineage, attending lamas and two mahasiddhas, seated on seats of animal skins. To the left in a red halo is Guhyasamaja in union with his consort Sparshavajra and to the right, is blue-bodied Chakrasamavara with his red-bodied consort, Vajravarahi, framed by an aureole of flames. A host of other wrathful figures surround Vajrabhairava, all held in suspension below by the wildly flailing six-armed Shadbhuja Mahakala.
This thangka is part of a larger set of Lamrin Lineage teachers commissioned by the Gelug teacher Purbu Ngagwang Champa (1682-1762). His portrait from the set is captured in a thangka held in the Rubin Museum of Art (HAR 68890). In eighteenth century Tibet, he held a significant role, having received full ordination from the Fifth Panchen Lama. This painting and another from the set (HAR 65798) follow a style closely associated with Tashi Lhunpo monastery from the eighteenth-century. It was the preeminent Gelug monastery, having established close connection to the Qing court. The style is characterized by vibrant colors, depicted in the azure sky, the fiery orange halos, foaming seafoam, and pink clouds, coupled with the intricate patterning in gold from the Qing court that is visible along the red painted throne and brocades of the accompanying deities and teachers.
This thangka is part of a larger set of Lamrin Lineage teachers commissioned by the Gelug teacher Purbu Ngagwang Champa (1682-1762). His portrait from the set is captured in a thangka held in the Rubin Museum of Art (HAR 68890). In eighteenth century Tibet, he held a significant role, having received full ordination from the Fifth Panchen Lama. This painting and another from the set (HAR 65798) follow a style closely associated with Tashi Lhunpo monastery from the eighteenth-century. It was the preeminent Gelug monastery, having established close connection to the Qing court. The style is characterized by vibrant colors, depicted in the azure sky, the fiery orange halos, foaming seafoam, and pink clouds, coupled with the intricate patterning in gold from the Qing court that is visible along the red painted throne and brocades of the accompanying deities and teachers.